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"Not a big selection of colours"

So good for the money

I have tried most of the make-up on offer in Aldi from their Lacura brand and I have to say that I have been really impressed with it for the cost.

They are so cheap but are usually just as good as their more expensive high street equivalents. There isn’t a huge selection of colours available but I managed to get a couple of colours that I liked the look of.

The polishes come in lovely looking bottles that make them look more expensive and luxurious than almost any other nail polish in this price range.

Even though I have tried their make-up before and thought it was good I still wasn’t expecting much from these as I just think cheap nail polishes end up looking cheap on nails.

These really didn’t though and looked great. They have a really nice consistency and go on lovely. I got a darker and a lighter colour and while the lighter colour needed two coats to look really even and smooth the darker one went on with one coat and looked great as soon as it had dried.

Two coats is normal for most polishes so I wasn’t concerned with the lighter one needed them but I was really impressed with the darker one only needing the one coat to look good.

Both the colours dried to a hard shiny laquer and both looked good on my nails. They weren’t the best nail polished that I have ever used but they were certainly as good if not better than the majority of nail polished from bigger brands in places like Boot’s and Superdrug and I will be stocking up on a few more bottles next time that I get to go to Aldi.

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A budget buy nail polish

Aldi's Lacura products are my new budget beauty buys and so far everything that I have bought in the range have been just as good as midrange products such as those from Maybelline and L'Oreal. The nail varnish is excellent with the only downfall to it being that it doesn't have the choice of colours that the bigger brands do or at least my local Aldi doesn't.

They do however have all the basic colours and I have a pink, a peach and a red one. The red is gorgeous and is a really rich vibrant colour while the peach and the pink are lovely and shimmery and have a nice gloss to them.

Unlike some other cheap nail varnishes these ones don't need 3 or 4 coats to get an even finish and I find that I need 2 coats maximum and usually only the one to get my nails evenly coated and looking smooth without any ragged edges.

They go on really smooth and dry quite quickly. I find that they touch dry in a couple of minutes and are completely dry a couple minutes after that. Longevity is excellent too and the polish can stay on my nails for days without chipping and coming off. I also find that it is strong enough to withstand the rigours of day to day life such as submersing my hands in the sink or banging them against walls. The polish can handle all these and it takes a lot to chip it.

Removing the polish is a breeze too and it comes off just as nicely as it goes on without me having to use half a bottle of nail polish remover a couple of swipes of the soaked cotton wool ball is all is usually takes which is excellent considering how hard wearing they are.

The price is so good for these nail polishes and is only £1.99 which is excellent value for such a good polish. I would happily use the polish as my main brand if only they had a slightly better range to choose from but if you are just looking for plain colours for everyday wear then these really can't be beaten in my opinion.

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a brilliant discovery for my nails

I am not really a high maintenance type of girl but occasionally I like to do girly and whilst shopping in Aldi yesterday I spotted a lovely colour nail polish and thought I would give it a go as I had read some good reviews about it!

The polishThe nail polish is by lacura beauty and comes in a long rectangular box which actually looks similar to some of the high end brands. The bottle is a tear drop shape and as the box has a cut out you can easily see the colour of the polish.

The polish is unlike other cheap nail polishes nice and thick and cuts the brush put doesn't just rip back into the bottle I found that the polish was easy to apply and didn't drip everywhere it also dried quickly and evenly.

Removal:The polish was easy to remove using pads and didn't need going over one pad removed it well.Colours:The colour I picked was called Dark Taupe a pinky brown colour I also noticed light pink, clear, red amongst others it really depends on the store you visit.

Cost and stockist This polish is from Aldi see www.aldi.co.uk for store locations and will cost £1.99

Why buy:Excellent coverage and great price would be two reasons another one would be just how hard wearing this polish is I have been in sandals since putting this on and have walked the dog and on hands and knees cleaned the bathroom floor and I am pleased to advise not a chip in sight which for me is excellent as I am a busy mum who doesn't have time to spend reapplying nail polish! I only applied one coat and this lasted 4 days without it looking terrible and only a couple of nails looked slightly chipped.

Recommendation I really recommend this polish as it is hardwearing, easy to apply, and the colour is really brilliant and at £1.99 you could have a different colour every day, I am only disappointed in that I only got one bottle! I will also be looking at their lip gloss maybe at this price I can become high maintenance!

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I really like this product, especially seeing as it is such a good price!

I had been looking for a French pink coloured nail varnish to use as the bottom coat of a manicure as I recently discovered that all of mine had gone all gloopy as I had stupidly left them in the sun!I was shopping in Aldi and saw this Nail Polish by Lacura and because it was so cheap compared to all the other brands I had seen, I decided to give it a go. I wasn't expecting amazing results when I tried this product because of the very little amount of money they wanted for it, but I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this product. I love the colour which is exactly the shade I was looking for, and which looks really nice and natural when I used it to do a manicure. The texture is also great, and the product is really easy to apply, and dries pretty quickly, which is also great for doing a French manicure, as I get extremely bored wait for one colour to dry so I can apply the next. I am really pleased with this buy.

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Luxury on a budget

I must admit I looked out for this nail polish at our local Aldi store, having read the revue by Lady Bracknell, and I haven't been disappointed.

This is the time of year when my feet come out of hiding in winter boots, and into sandals, so around this time I often invest in some new nail polish. And at only £1.99 for a 10ml bottle it doesn't cost much.

I selected a shade called Crystal Glow. This may be a little pale for some people,but trying it first on my fingernails, I find it a lovely warm, subtle shade of pink, with a golden irridescent sheen. It is easy to apply, not too thick, however before it dries the smell of it is extremely powerful, like paint varnish.

It comes in a cardboard pack which gives directions on how to apply it "working the brush from the centre of the nail to the top, then carefully painting around the sides of the nails", but I quickly reverted to my tried and trusted method of 3 brushstrokes from base to top. As the varnish was so cheap, I actually bought a bottle of clear varnish at the same time, and as suggested again on the pack, used this as a basecoat, which seemed very succesful.

I found one disadvantage, which may have just been a one off which was that I couldn't unscrew the top of the first varnish I tried, which was the clear one.I am not very good at unscrewing tight jar lids, but when I passed it over to my husband who has very strong hands it defeated him as well, partly because of the smooth design of the bottle and cap there is nothing to grip onto. So he ended up getting out his pliers which did work, but damaged the chrome coloured lid slightly. When I tried to open the other bottle it unscrewed quite easily.

The nail varnish is made in France,and is certainly elegant, and amazing value.(As long as you can get the top off). I have worn the polish on my nails for 3 days now, and it is hardly chipped.

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A budget nail polish which behaves like it's top of the range

Although I don't shop there all the time because it's a little out of my way, I've recently been paying the odd visit to Aldi as I've discovered some of their products are of exceptional value. The last time I shopped there, whilst browsing their beauty products, I spotted a Lacura nail varnish to add to my collection. Shades of beige and brown seem to be included in this season's on trend colour palette and as this particular varnish was in a rather luscious looking chocolate shade, I popped it into my trolley.

Lacura is a trade name exclusive to Aldi, although I have seen this brand on sale on various beauty websites, generally at discounted prices. I paid £1.99 for this 10ml bottle.

I almost missed seeing that Lacura sold nail varnish because of the packaging. It's quite unusual these days for nail varnish to be sold this way and although the packaging is cardboard and therefore recyclable, it does seem rather unnecessary. The bottle itself is an attractive shape which, including the top, forms an elongated teardrop. The lid is a dark reflective silver and the bottle has the name 'Lacura Beauty' on the front and details of the manufacturer on the reverse side, together with the information that the varnish is viable for 18 months. There is a small silver sticker on the bottom of the bottle giving the shade number which in this case is 903 Chocolate.

The shade range in my local Aldi was limited to about 4 shades and when I checked on the website, Chocolate didn't even make it onto their fairly short list of shades. As prices are quoted in dollars, this may be because this colour isn't available in the US. All the shades are in very wearable colours ranging for clear and French Manicure to Deep Red and Chocolate (if you can find it.)

I can't say that I expected this nail polish to out-perform more expensive named brands. This was the first brown nail varnish I'd used and I'd bought it more for experimentation than anything else and if I liked the colour, I intended to look around for a better brand. I was agreeably surprised by the results from this one, however.

On opening the nail varnish and lifting out the brush, the first thing I noticed was that this polish seems to be just a little thinner than other brands I've used which I didn't think boded too well in terms of application or coverage. I was kind of right on the first point and completely wrong on the latter. Because of the thinner nature of this polish, a little bit really does go a long way. My mistake was in loading the brush with the same amount of polish as I normally use which resulted in it pooling in the cuticle area. Having learned my lesson, I loaded less polish from then on. With regard to coverage, this polish is excellent. One application covered well but an additional coat gave an even and very glossy result. I'm still getting used to the colour, I must admit, as it looks as though I've dipped my fingers in melted chocolate!

The integrated top and brush are very good. The top is big enough to be held comfortably and although the brush is quite narrow, it provides good coverage over the nail.

Wearability, too, is just as good. The first time I applied this polish it was simply to see whether I liked the colour and I then pottered around the kitchen, did some washing up, which ncluded scrubbing pans with a heavy duty pan scrubber and when I checked my nails after I'd finished, they were still immaculate: no chips, no wear. It was at this point I realised I'd bought a winner. And a good four days later, the nail polish was still looking good with only very slight wear at the nail tips which is something I experience with all polishes because I'm a touch typist and tend to hit the keys with my nail ends.

There is a down side, of course. Aldi seem to withdraw products without any warning and you can never guarantee that something you spotted in the store one week, will be there the next. I've been back since and bought another bottle for my reserve stock just in case.

The statement on the nail varnish packaging reads 'Brilliant colour for perfect nails' and I really can't argue with that. This is another example of Aldi providing excellent value for money.

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Cheap alternative to expensive rubbish that really works

For years I have indulged in the most expensive beauty products on the market, trying, as we all eventually do, to turn back the clock of time and any traces of fine lines and deeper wrinkles, as promised, on the most extravagant eye catching packaging. The one thing I can honestly say I have reduced is my bank balance, much to the dismay of my very easy going Husband, that was until I discovered one of the cheapest range of products on the market Aldi's Lacura. Wow!!! I dont know where to begin, I cannot print my findings quick enough. The Lacura range of beauty products and creams start at the amazingly low price of £1.99 all the way up to the startlingly low price of £6.99. The manufacturers make no outrageous claims of turning your skin into that of a new born baby but merely list the ingredients and their uses. I am not saying that these products would suit every individual but the ingredients are so simple and basic its like going back to nature. I have suffered with blemishes, spots and increasingly dry skin over the years and have used some of the most well known products and vitamins on the market, but now my make-up bag and beauty box is full of Lacura products. The products contain no perfumes are hypoalergenic and dermatologically tested. They come in a variety of shades and colours to suit all skin types and tones. Aloe Vera, Shea Butter and beeswax are typical ingredients. But once you've tried them you wont turn back. My skin is so soft and radient. The liquid foundation at £2.39 for 30ml gives such brilliant coverage that you only require the tiniest amount. The eye shadow stays put all day, as do the blusher and compact powder. The concealer pen at £3.59 it far superior to any of its expensive rivals and has the amazing ability of being identical to your own skin tone. The waterproof mascara really is waterproof and makes your eyelashes so much longer in appearance and at £1.99 who cares. The lipstick just glides on and stays put much longer than your average lipstick. The nail polish comes in a baby pink, clear and a few other colours, it just glides on, leaves no brush marks, it is very resilient and seems to last much longer than your average nail polish. My hands are constantly in water and detergents as I am always cleaning around the house and it seems to have very little impact on the nail polish. The make-up range comes in expensive looking high gloss graphite grey containers. The best part you can use any of the range as sparingly or excessively as you like because think of all the money you will have saved on the expensive rivals. Well done Aldi, I'm impressed!!!

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The best French Pink nail polish I have found

Regular readers of my reviews may have noticed my struggle of late to find a decent French Pink nail polish since Collection 2000 changed the formula of their product.

I have tried several brands - only some I have reviewed - ranging from inexpensive to really expensive but nothing has come up to scratch for me, leaving me to wonder if I would ever find a polish to add shine and strength to my nails.

A few weeks ago I was shopping in Aldi with my daughter, and she spotted make up on sale there. My daughter is make-up daft, and can easily spend half an hour in Boots browsing the shelves and trying out testers, so she insisted we have a look.

The range goes under the Lacura brand name and includes lipstick, foundation, concealer, lipgloss, mascara, eyeshadow and nail polish.

While my daughter was looking at the eyeshadow, I decided to have a look at the nail polish, for it was priced at a mere £1.99. I wondered if, perhaps, they might sell a French Pink and much to my delight, I discovered they did, in amongst deep purples, cherry reds and chocolate browns.

~~The Product~~

Lacura nail varnish, as they call it, comes in several shades and a clear polish is also available which Lacura claims works best as both an undercoat and a topcoat for their nail polishes.

The product I chose was the "French Manicure" shade, which is a pale, cloudy pink.

The nail polish is hideously over packaged - it comes in a box which is three times the length of the bottle and twice as wide - it sits in the middle of the box visible through a window. The whole thing is wrapped in cellophane. I suspect this over packaging is done to deter shoplifters and also to standardise the size of their cosmetics packaging overall - I noticed several cosmetic products were similarly packed in boxes identical in size to this one.

The bottle itself is pretty plain - it just says "Lacura Beauty" on it and it has a polished silver lid which is long and curved at the top.

~~Using Lacura Nail Varnish~~

I must admit from the off that I was feeling reasonably positive about using this product because it is made in France. French made cosmetics tend to be of a decent quality, no matter what the price is, so as a result I was feeling quite optimistic.

When I opened the bottle the polish looked similar in consistency to Chanel's French manicure polish, but the colour seemed paler. This wasn't too much of a concern for me however as I like French Pink on my nails so they have a nice shine but retain a natural look.

The brush is quite large - certainly thicker than the Chanel one - and is long too, but it looks quite cheap - the bristles seem longer and thicker than on some other polishes I have purchased.

The polish does have quite a strong smell of chemicals - don't get me wrong, it won't knock you out, but you will notice it when you open the bottle.

***Application***

I was a bit nervous once I saw the brush but bit the bullet and applied the polish. Much to my amazement, the polish glided on with ease, with the colour being applied equally and smoothly. There wasn't a sign of the slightest brushstroke and I was extremely pleased with the application - I would go so far as to say it goes on better than any other brand I have used.

Drying time is about five minutes, and applying the second coat was just as easy and problem free as the first had been.

Of course I have experienced good application experiences with other brands but discovered the durability of the polish is a problem so although I felt really pleased at how well the polish had gone on, I knew I couldn't be too optimistic about the brand until at least a few days had passed.

***Durability***

When I first applied the Lacura Nail Varnish I was amazed to be able to go four days before it started to chip - and even then it chipped around the cuticle more than at the tip of the nail.

I was really delighted with this but remarked to my daughter that surely a £1.99 nail polish couldn't be significantly more durable than a £16 Chanel one. My daughter responded by suggesting I put Chanel on one hand and Lacura on the other to compare how well they lasted.

I thought this was an excellent idea, so I found myself with Chanel on my left hand and Lacura on my right. I am right handed, which really gave the Chanel an advantage one would have thought, however within 2 days the Chanel had started to chip, while the Lacura polish on my right hand remained as it had been when I put it on. In fact by the time I had to remove the Chanel polish after 5 days wear due to bad chipping, the Lacura was only starting to show signs of wear, much to my amazement.

I have worn the Lacura several times since then and the minimum it goes without chipping is four days, which I am pretty pleased about.

***The Look***

This looks and feels lovely on the nails. It isn't overtly shiny, meaning it gives your nails a more natural look than some brands which are quite dazzling. If you are looking for something to just brighten your nails and protect them from daily chores, this is ideal.

***Removal***

I sometimes struggle to remove nail polishes but the Lacura product comes off easily with the Quickies nail polish remover pads that I favour. Sometimes I find I have to use two pads to fully remove nail polish but this hasn't been the case with the Lacura polish, which surprised me in light of how durable it is.

~~Final Thoughts~~

I have finally managed to find a new brand of French Pink nail polish which is easy to apply, looks good and stays on my nails without chipping within a day or two in the aisles of Aldi.

This product is an absolute gem - and I am absolutely delighted to have found it.

The range is worth checking out if you are looking for a reasonably priced quality nail polish and the only real downsides I can think about the polish is the over packaging, and the fact it does have quite a strong smell - although I hasten to add it isn't overwhelming.

The advantages however more than make up for this - for £1.99 you get a quality product that in my experience beat the designer brand hands down for durability. You can't say better than that!